


Riding in Cars with Boys

by crystalkei



Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:02:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26652637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalkei/pseuds/crystalkei
Summary: A shameless excuse to write what might have happened if Paxton drove Devi to Malibu instead of Ben.
Relationships: Paxton Hall-Yoshida/Devi Vishwakumar
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	Riding in Cars with Boys

Devi wasn’t home. 

Thankfully, neither was her mom because he didn’t want to subject himself to more insults when Devi wasn’t even there. For a chance to see Devi? Yeah, he could listen to Dr. Vishwakumar lob finely honed burns at him, but Devi wasn’t home so he was relieved that he didn’t have to face her mother either. 

Paxton looked at his phone as he stood in front of her house. He could text. But what would he say?  _ Sorry I blew you off at school because your mom roasted me within an inch of my life, uh, wanna hang out?  _ Didn’t really seem like the sort of thing you texted. Calling seemed like overkill but didn’t Devi deserve that? He didn’t want to be the douche his sister said he was. He should call. 

As he looked for her contact in his phone, a black Porsche pulled up in front of the house. Devi hopped out looking stressed as hell. She held her phone to her ear for a moment, then stomped her foot.    
  
“No answer!” She looked up and seemed to finally notice him. “Paxton!”

“Yeah?”

“I need to get to Malibu, like right now. Like should have left 20 minutes ago.” She was already headed to the Jeep which was perfectly fine because he was too. The minute she said “need” he was ready to give her whatever. But he stopped, seeing Ben Gross in the Porsche. 

“Are you coming or what, dude?” Paxton asked, the kid look confused about what was happening. Devi stopped at the passenger door and looked at Ben.

“I’m gonna take my dad’s car home. I don’t want to get in trouble for taking it,” he explained. 

Devi gave him a wave and a short thanks before she jumped into the Jeep. Paxton followed her lead, got in the car, turned it on, and cringed when he peeled out. That was not good for his tires. 

“Thank god, someone with some understanding of the gravity of the situation!” Devi said, putting her hands into the air. Paxton couldn’t help but smile, but he had no idea what the situation was.    
  
“Where exactly am I going?” Paxton asked, heading for the freeway. “And maybe why? I guess that part isn’t as necessary but it’d be nice.” 

“The beach,” Devi said, turning to look at him, before she looked back at her phone and started texting furiously. “My mom and my cousin left to go spread my dad’s ashes. I got into a big fight and I told my mom I wouldn’t come.” 

“Shit, this is serious,” Paxton said. He put a hand on her headrest and looked behind him, changing lanes and then looking back at the road. He could go a smidge faster, then really floor it when they made it to the freeway. 

“My cousin isn’t answering calls or texts. I just need them to wait for me, I need to apologize to my mom. I don’t want to miss this. I was being stupid.” Devi’s legs were bouncing and she kept turning her phone over in her hands. 

“Hey,” he said, putting a hand on hers. “Keep trying but we’ll get there, it’s gonna be fine.”    
  
He wasn’t entirely sure that was true but she took his hand and squeezed the hell out of it and tried to call again. Still no answer. 

“Do you have your cousin or your mom’s location? See how close we are to them, maybe?” 

“Good idea,” she said, searching in her phone again as he took the on ramp. “Ugh, no, it’s not coming up. This is awful! I shouldn’t have told her I wouldn’t come. My big mouth gets me in so much trouble!” 

There wasn’t really anything he could say to that, so he focused on finding someone in the left lane who was speeding so he could follow them. 

“Wait, what were you doing at my house?” Devi asked, squeezing his hand and turning to him, confused. 

Paxton didn’t look at her, it was better to keep his eyes on the road because he was speeding, just barely. Plus it was easier to apologize if he didn’t look at her. She was holding his hand at this point definitely for comfort and something to do, that’s why he’d offered it. But also it felt nice and in any other circumstances, he would have enjoyed it a lot more. 

“I, uh, I came to apologize,” he said, squeezing her hand back but keeping his eyes on the road. “For blowing you off the other day. You didn’t deserve that.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her look forward too, not at him, when she started, “It’s not a big deal. My mom was brutal to you and I had other stuff going on anyway, probably better for me to focus on that other stuff than whatever happened with you.” 

Oh. 

The moment had passed. Didn’t matter that she was holding his hand, she was over the kiss, moved on from it, and him. So now he was just her friend helping out. Just driving her to Malibu to make sure she didn’t miss this crucial life event. 

“What other stuff?” Paxton couldn’t help but ask for more information even though his heart felt like it had moved into his throat. 

Devi looked at him and he glanced at her briefly, just to encourage her to keep talking, as he got behind a Mustang going 20 over the limit. He wasn’t gonna go 20 over, but at least he could do ten over now.   
  
“My mom wants to move us back to India.”

“Whoa,” Paxton said, looking at her. She didn’t look stressed or mad anymore, she was somber. “Like right away?”   
  
“I don’t know, she dropped the bomb, we fought about it, I told her I wished she died instead of my dad, I ran away from home, I let Ben Gross’ maid make me a meat lover’s omelette every day this week and then my mom came and begged me to come to spread my dad’s ashes.”

“Fuck.” It wasn’t helpful but it was the best he had. 

At every new detail, Paxton felt more and more like the douche Becca accused him of being. Devi was going through some shit and he blew her off and she wasn’t even mad at him. She’d just moved on. And he wasn’t there to help at all. It was a miracle their paths had crossed when they did so he could at least attempt to make it up to her by getting her to Malibu in time. 

They sat quietly for a minute. Paxton didn’t know what to say and Devi looked out the window. Her knees still bouncing nervously. 

“Is this Florence + the Machine?” Devi asked, turning up the music.    
  
“Yeah,” Paxton shrugged. “Sometimes I like to feel like a witch running through the forest. Don’t you?”

Devi laughed for the first time since they’d started this little adventure and he breathed a little easier. He almost forgot that she said she was over him. But it was short lived. Her phone vibrated and that frantic heaviness came back over her. 

“Is it them?” 

“No,” Devi said, her shoulders slumping. “Just Eleanor asking if I made it.” 

“So then you guys are cool now?” Paxton asked, remembering how upset she was about the fight between her and her friends. 

Devi nodded. “Yeah, another stop on today’s Devi apology tour.”    
  
Paxton smiled weakly. He didn’t really know her friends but he was glad to hear she’d patched that up. But thinking of that fight, that reminded him of after the fight, and driving her home. And how she’d already given up on him now because he’d gotten hurt and took it out on Devi. He fucked up. He couldn’t stop himself from apologizing again. 

“I’m sorry.”   
  
She looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “For what?”

“For that thing at school, I shouldn’t have-”    
  
“You already apologized for that,” she cut him off. “It’s cool, we’re cool.”    
  
“But all this stuff happened and maybe I could have helped and instead I pretended that I didn’t care about you and that’s shitty,” Paxton said, again, keeping his eyes on the road so he didn’t have to look at her. 

Devi squeezed his hand and then he felt guilty that in this really stressful time for her, she was trying to console him. Embarrassing. 

“Okay well, apology accepted.” Devi’s legs stopped shaking and he almost forgot the reason they were in the car because okay maybe the way she was holding his hand was not just for support. But her phone vibrated again and she reached for it with both hands this time, leaving him hanging. He pulled his hand back and looked at her, hopefully. 

“Just Fabiola.” Devi dialed and held the phone up again, but she huffed. “Still nothing. God, what’s the point of having a phone if you don’t answer it?!”

Paxton changed lanes, heading for the exit, feeling like a failure. If she missed this, he’d never forgive himself. He should have gone faster. 

“Wait!” Devi shouted, startling him. She pointed frantically at a car ahead of them. “That’s my mom’s car!” 

He caught sight of it and let out a breath. Devi wasn’t gonna miss it. Paxton slammed his hand into the steering wheel, excitedly.    
  
“You’re gonna make it!” 

“I’m gonna make it! I just,” she paused, her excitement tempered. “I just have to apologize to my mom for saying a bunch of horrible stuff to her. That’s fine. I’ll be fine.”    
  
Paxton looked at her with what he hoped was a gentle, encouraging smile. “Your mom is terrifying but if anyone can do this, it’s you.” 

“Did you catch the part where I told her I wish she’d died instead of my dad? Because that is gonna take some real work.”    
  
“It sounds like you and your mom both get carried away and say shit you don’t mean when you’re angry.” 

“Imagine that dynamic for 15 years and then the only mediator drops dead at the spring concert, that’s my life.” Devi looked out the window, sighing deeply. 

“Sounds like you’re doing pretty okay considering the circumstances.” 

“That’s generous,” Devi replied. 

“You’re in it, everything looks worse from that side, but cut yourself some slack. You’re doing alright.” Paxton didn’t think he should be giving advice but he wanted to help and he was honest, considering everything she’d been through, she was doing much better than he would have. She shrugged in response. 

As he pulled into the parking lot, Devi’s knees started bouncing again and she kept searching for her mom’s car. 

“It’s up there,” he said. “You’ll catch them easy. I can drive you right up to the-”    
  
“No, this is good, you should probably go home, too, I don’t want you in her crosshairs again. You don’t need that.” Devi explained, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Thank you for dropping everything to drive me all this way. I should send you gas money or something.” 

“No big,” Paxton said, sincerely. “Just happy to help.” 

Devi scoffed. “You’re always helping. I swear to god, you’re gonna get tired of rescuing me at some point.”    
  
“Not likely,” Paxton said, shaking his head.

She hopped out of the car but Paxton noticed she’d left her phone on the seat. He jumped out. 

“Devi! Your phone!” 

He held it in the air as she looked back at him. She looked at her mom and cousin walking and seemed to gauge if she should shout after them, but instead she came running to him. She took the phone, put an arm around his neck, and kissed him. It was quick and a little sloppy, their teeth bumping. He didn’t even have time to put a hand on her waist before she pulled away. 

“I’m sorry, I know you probably want to just be friends but I wanted to try that one more time.” 

She was flushed and looked down. Paxton wished he had something smarter to say to let her know she shouldn’t be embarrassed. But he could feel the dumb smile on his face. He thought she was over the moment. That’s what he was prepared for. But then this. He shook his head to clear it. 

“We should probably try it a couple more times,” he said, feeling sort of foggy and giddy at the same time. “Couple more times, several. Few. Tons. Whatever. For science. Whatever you want.” 

Devi looked up at him and gave him one of those wide, full face lighting up smiles. He loved that smile. 

“Cool,” she said. 

Paxton stared at her for a second, before he remembered. 

“Your mom! Go! Catch up with them!” 

“Right!” Devi’s eyes widened and she nodded. She turned and then threw over her shoulder, “I’ll text you when I get home.” 

\--

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
